House of Hamill performs at Sellersville
House of
A concert by
Hamill kicks off a weekend of in-person and virtually simulcast shows with a performance Friday at 8 p.m. at Sellersville Theater. House of Hamill features Brian Buchanan of Enter the Haggis and Rose Baldino, formerly of Burning Bridget Cleary. They will be joined by Asheville, N.C., bassist and vocalist Caroline Browning. Their music has been described as “Radiohead meets Riverdance”; it is Celtic-inspired and eclectic. It occupies a space between traditional Irish music and sophisticated indie-pop. Music fans may recognize Baldino and Buchanan from area appearances with their bands at the Bethlehem Musikfest and Celtic Classic and the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Baldino and Buchanan first met backstage at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, when Enter the Haggis was headlining with Burning Bridget Cleary as openers. Their paths crossed a dozen times over the next several years on the road, and in 2014 Buchanan moved from Toronto to the Philadelphia area. They formed House of Hamill in 2015, got married in 2017, and in 2018 their all-violin cover of “Sweet Child of Mine” went viral, amassing over 16 million views and 400,000 shares. This weekend’s other shows at Sellersville are the Greg Sover Band on Saturday at 8 p.m. and Charlie Brown Jazz With the Eric Mintel Trio on Sunday at 3 p.m. The venue is also hosting a Soundbooth Session virtual concert featuring local musician Paul Wilkinson’s new solo project, 400 Bears, on Tuesday at 8 p.m. For tickets and additional information on all the concerts, call 215-2575808 or visit https://theater.st94.com.
Holiday Lights is up and running throughout December at Dutch Wonderland, 2249 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster. More than 1 million lights will line the family amusement park’s Old Mill Stream Campground, ready for families to enjoy holiday displays throughout a 1.5mile journey. At the end of the drive-through, guests can stop into the castle for a socially distanced photo with Santa Claus, a cup of hot cocoa and holiday shopping in the Castle Gift Shop. Holiday Lights will be open 5 to 9 p.m. nightly through Dec. 31, excluding Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Discounted tickets are available online at DutchWonderland.com/Holiday-Lights. Cost for standard passenger vehicles with up to eight occupants is $15 for Sundays through Thursdays and $20 for Fridays and Saturdays, a savings of $5 off the gate price.
Experience the magic of Christmas during the Gilded Age at the
Guided Holiday Tours at Cairnwood Estate,
the private residence for 19th century industrialist John Pitcairn and his family. The tours include three floors decorated for the season by professional florists. Guests are greeted by a dazzling two-story Christmas tree, located in the same spot it once stood at the turn of the century. Every tour is private (twoperson minimum, eightperson maximum). Tours run through Dec. 23, and advance reservations are required. Tickets cost $15 for ages 18-64, and $12 for ages 7 to 17 and 65-plus. Located at 1005 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn, Montgomery County, Cairnwood Estate is an architectural masterpiece with meticulous decorative elements blending influences from classical Greek and Roman architecture with French Renaissance inspirations. To book a tour, visit cairnwood. org/activities/christmas-atcairnwood.
Boyertown Area MultiService’s 14th annual Festival of Trees,
which this year will be completely virtual, runs today through Dec. 14. Sponsors have decorated beautifully themed trees for display. Participants can go online to view the trees and purchase raffle tickets to win their favorite tree. Support from this event benefits the many programs and services that Boyertown Area MultiService provides for the community. The online link to the trees will be posted at www.boyertownareamulti-service.org/festival-oftrees-2020.html today at noon.
The West Reading Community Revitalization Foundation,
through a grant from the County of Berks, will be providing strolling holiday entertainment Fridays and Saturdays along Penn Avenue, West Reading. Fecho Productions will liven the avenue with its Brass Ensemble on Fridays from 6 to 9 p.m., and the Cooper Family Victorian Carolers will perform on Saturdays from 6 to 8 p.m., complementing the festive displays and offerings from local independent merchants.
The Holiday Lights
display opens Friday and runs through Dec. 23 at Gring’s Mill Recreation Area, 2083 Tulpehocken Road, Spring Township, Berks County. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Fridays through Sundays, plus Dec. 21-23. This will be a walk-through display. Masks are required. Refreshments will be offered by Beansie’s Mobile Espresso Cafe. For more information, call 610-372-8939 or visit www.countyofberks. com/parks.
Friends of Chamber Music of Reading
will present a livestreamed concert by the Jasper String Quartet on Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m. They will be performing works by Haydn, Florence Price and Dvorak from the WCR Center for the Arts. See www.facebook. com/FOCMReading.
The Covert Concert Series
presents a livestreamed performance by the Lancaster-based psychedelic rock band Medusa’s Disco, with opener Wynton Alan Huddle, on Saturday at 8 p.m. on Facebook Live. For more information, see www. facebook.com/events/ 865217164284379.